Radiocabinet



June 4, 1935.

J. E GRIMM RADIOCABINET Filed April 20, 1951 2 Sheets Sheet 1 June 4, 1935. ,J. E. GRIMM 2,003,436

RADIOCABINET Filed April 20, 1931 2 SheetsSheet 2 THE W Patented June 4, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- RADIOGABINET Application April 20, 1931, Serial No. 531,354

l Claims.

This invention relates to radio cabinets, or those cabinets adaptable for the housing of radio receivers and like mechanisms.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a suitable closure for an irregular shaped opening.

A further object of the invention is to provide a closure for an opening in an instrument cabinet, whereby said opening may be opened and closed without interrupting the outline contour of the said cabinet either in the open or closed position.

A further object of the invention is to improve radio cabinet structure in general.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of one form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings: 7

Fig. 1 is a front elevational View of a radio ca inet exhibiting the instant invention, in which the closure member is in the open position.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same substantially as illustrated on the line and in the direction of the arrows 2-2 of Fig.1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view ofthe same substantially as illustrated by the line and arrows 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view showing a detail of the construction by which the closure member is automatically latched into position.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the same, substantially as illustrated by the line and arrows 55 of Fi 4. I

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are top plan views of modified forms of cabinets, in which the instant inventionhas been adapted. v 3

With particular reference to the drawings, considering first Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, the numeral 29 represents a radio cabinet of conventional structure, comprising in main a front wall 2!, end walls 22 that may be joined by appropriate cabinet work and include the corner or post members 23, the lower portion of. which is turned into the preferred design of leg or standard 24. The tops and bottoms of the various panels are additionally reinforced and joined to the post members by appropriate rails 25 for the side members, and the rails 26 and 2'! with an attached apron 28 for the front wall 2|, and such other necessary or desired elements of cabinet structure as may be preferred.

A top member 29 finishes off the top of the secured to the panel'member 46.

instrument, while the interior thereof is sub-. stantially divided into a pair of compartments 36 and 3| by a partition like member formed fromthe supporting rails 32 and 33 joined by the cross rails 34 and 35, and having appropriate support speaker, which board in the illustrated embodiment, is tilted as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

The front wall 2| of the instrument, may be of any preferred contour or design substantially as suggested by the drawings, but for the purpose of illustration one having an offset or irregular face member has been selected, in which the main'portion of the panel 2| is set out as at 45, which set out portion encloses a secondary panel 46, that is apertured at 41 with an irregular shaped opening as illustrated, so as to give access 25 to the control elements and inspection aperture of the contained receiver that may be accessible from the front of a radio instrument panel 48. This instrument panel 48 is preferably secured to the forward portionof the cabinet, which in the present instance is accomplished by the rails or spacers :9 and 56 attached to or otherwise It is preferred that these rails 66 and 56 be of substantial thickness, so as to space the instrument panel 48 from the member 46 suificiently to provide a chamber 5| between the panel 48 and a sliding door that slides vertically in grooves 56 and 51 cut in the opposing faces of the rails 49 and 56 at their portions contiguous to the panel '46. The instrument panel '48 may be apertured at 60 to provide inspection of a dial situated therebehind, and also carry the apertures 6 I, 62 and 63 that are adaptable for appropriate controls of the receiving instrument, substantially as indicated 45 in Figs. 2 and 3. It is thus seen that the spacing of the instrument panel 48, by the rails 49 and 56, from the closure member 55 provides a suitable chamber 5! for the housing of the various controls of the receiving instrument. 0

The closure member 55 may be either of flattened or curved structure, as is illustrated in the drawings, but in preference comprises a slidable panel of the desired form which may be reinforced With the moldings or beads 65 and 66 for the purposes of rigidity or finish, but in all events is to be of over all dimension substantially less than the distance between the bottoms of the grooves 56 and 51, so that the sliding panel will have a loose fit so to slide within the channels formed in the rails 49 and 50. This makes provision for suitable springs 61 that may be secured to the bead or molding 66 substantially as illustrated in the detail of Fig. 4. In the disclosure here presented, the spring 61 is in the form of a long bow spring fixed at its middle region to the rail 65 by the screws or similar de-' vices 68, and has its oppositely extending free ends 69 and 18 firmly engaging the rail 49 and recurved so as to provide a smooth movement over the surface of the rail. When assembled, that is when the sliding panel 55 is disposed within its companion guideways formed by the grooves 56 and 51, the spring 5? is under considerable stress due to its compression or flattening out from its free state, andthis makes for smooth and easy movement of the closure 55 throughout the length of the guideways 55 and 57, since the member engages the rail 49 with the same amount of frictional force throughout its entire range.

In one or more of the rails 49 and 5! which ever may be desired, a round headed nail or screw 15, or bullet latch as it is sometimes called is secured so that it will cooperate with the terminating bend 16 of one of the spring members 61 to hold the panel in position, when the panel is moved to its uppermost limit. In the preferred form or in the illustrated embodiment, the sliding panel 55 is so arranged with respect to the opening 41, that the said opening is uncovered when the panel55 has been moved to the lower position against a stop block 85, and the panel is provided with a control knob or button 8| by which it may be raised to close the opening 47, at which instance'the panel 55 engages the stop blocks 82, and coincident therewith the free end 69 of the spring 61 passes over and springs behind the bullet catch 15 to hold the door in place, substantially as illustrated in Fig. 4. It is obvious of course, that in some instances it may be preferred to have the closure member 55 in the raised position when the instrument panel 48 is to be uncovered, in which instance it will be necessary to invert some of the parts, but it is intended that the purview of this invention shall cover such a structure. In the preferred form, however, it is desired that the opening 4! be -uncovered when the panel 55 has been moved to its lower position, and that the same will be closed when the panel is raised to the latched position as illustrated in Fig. 4, whereupon the instrument panel 48 will be covered and the knob or button 8! of the panel 55 will be disposed substantially as indicated at 8!.

While the invention has been illustrated in detail in that form of cabinet appearing in Fig. l, the same invention is adaptable to other forms of cabinet, such as illustrated in Figs. 6, '7 and 8, irrespective of whether the plan be that of 29a,

2% or 290, or whether the sliding panel 55 be of the forms 55a, 55b or 55c. In either instance, the panel 55 may be formed in the shape desired, and then fitted into the guideways in the cabinet front piece, with the spring and latch device.

While the. form of embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow. What is claimed is as follows: 1. In a radio cabinet having a compartment to house a receiver, the combination comprising, a front wall for said cabinet providing a windowway, guide rails affixed to the cabinet wall in parallel arrangement on either side of said Windowway, an instrument panel secured to said rails and being spaced from said front cabinet wall, a slidable closure running in said rails and adaptable to open and close said window -wa'y, whereby access may be had to controls protruding through the instrument panel, or the same may be coverecle 2. In a radio cabinet having a compartment and a front wall substantially closing the same,

the combination comprising, a pair of guide rails secured to the cabinet wall, said front wall being apertured to provide a window-way therethrough between said guide rails, a closure member slidable within said guide rails operable to cover said window-way and to give access through the same,

an instrument panel attached to said guide rails and being substantially spaced from said closure member to provide a recess, said instrument panel being apertured for the passage of instrument controls, and said recess being of sufiicient depth to contain manipulating members secured to said controls. I

3. In a radio cabinet having a front wall for substantially covering a receiving instrument contained therein, the combination comprising, guide rails mounted on said front wall and providing spacing members to the rear thereof, an apertured instrument panel secured to said rails so as to be spaced from said front wall, a closure member slidable within the said rails in position between the front wall and said instrument panel, said front wall being apertured throughout the major portion of the area between said rails and said aperture being of smaller dimension than said closure member.

4. In a radio cabinet having a front wall with a window-way of appreciable size therein for substantially covering the contents of said cabinet, the combination comprising, a closure for said window-way movable to completely close the same in one position and to expose substantially all of the same in the second position, guide rails securedto the front wall to keep said closure member, said rails providing spacers behind said closure, and an instrument panel secured to the rails and offset from said closure'member by said spacers.

JOHN E. GRIMM. 

